Secrets
by melophiliac
Summary: Casey and Gregg didn't take their best friend leaving for college too well, as the two always hoped they'd remain a trio. Although Gregg was more willing to accept Mae's interest in post-secondary education, Casey grew quite resentful, making college a topic very hard for her to bring up. Right after she had left, Gregg and Casey would have to spend their time together.
1. Introduction

Possum Springs has a beautiful autumn morning, especially when the sky is clear and the air is breathable. Any sort of mugginess in the town was rare, as the location of the town was way too far from anywhere with an entirely too high of an altitude. With clear air and a beautiful atmosphere, Possum Springs would be well enough to have a pleasant atmosphere in general, one that could only be appreciated by non-natives.

You would only like the town if you were invested in its economical worth, if you were well off financially, or both. Other than that, the town would be very much disliked for its low population, its small location, and its general lack of modern or contemporary pleasures. A town, especially for someone young, remained disliked for its lack of cellphone service, lack of proper outside communication, and its tacky way to get around town. If one were to seek out a place for genuine pleasure, they would have to leave town and go through the highway to find some sort of modern restaurant or entertainment facility.

Any local could assure you the only way you could enjoy these kinds of buildings is if you drove. Depending on the bus was an immediate no.

The town clearly had its issues. One with a contemporary dependency could not live there. One who sought traveling in a big location could definitely not live there.

However, there were some good things. You never had an issue with the people.

Something about a closed-knitted town plus a small ammount of people would equal a close community. Everyone knew or at least knew of each other, residents never having to worry about being completely alone. Being friendless in a small town just didn't really happen; everyone was much too close in contact, and nobody really proved to be distant nor unfriendly. The town had each other's back and could be heavily relied upon, especially when going through hard times, either financially or mentally.

Possum Springs wasn't all that bad. Although it was easy to hate, it definitely felt like home.

Casey groaned at the sight of the review, taking the sheet of paper off of the bulletin board and tossing it in the trash.

"Eff this town. And eff the people."

He would find himself muttering to himself as he headed home, glaring at the town hall and its dim background. Possum Springs may have had clear, pitch black skies during the night, but that was only a reminder how distant this town was from the world.

As his feet hit the ground on his way home, he couldn't help but feel listened to, the cat turning around only for a moment.

There was nothing. And nothing was there.


	2. Weird Autumn

Summer was supposed to end when the first leaves turned orange and the sky no longer looked completely blue.

Summer was supposed to end when Pastabilities no longer served its Summer Sundaes on Summer Sundays and went back to only serving its weird cardboardy-greasy pizza. .

Summer was supposed to end with the gang ready to start a new year in school. This would only apply to one of them, a girl who ended up dealing with all the bullshit high school threw at her and actually wanting more bullshit to be thrown at.

Four more years of not just school, but optional school was what Mae Borowski seemed to have wanted as she waited patiently at her drive way, her body completely tense and her head pounding from the pre-stress of college.

Her mind was frazzled with endless thoughts of having to unload, move her luggage from the car to her dorm, unload at her dorm, then unpack, just for everything to be packed up again in less than a year. She would no longer be living in permanent residence, having to get used to a new eight-month home, just to move to a different location to then get used to as well.

All of this, plus having to get used to prioritizing school on her own without the aid of her parents and immediate friends, would become the metaphorical thunderstorm in her head, a severe disaster occurring just to destroy her head with the whiplash of anxiety and the downpour of mental illness. She could feel her body shaking as she stood, staring at the ground she grew up on, watching her life in Possum Springs starting to die.

Neck-down, her body wasn't doing too well either. While dealing with the storm inside her head, she was also dealing with the land on which this storm was affecting.

She could feel her clammy hands making holding the handle of her suitcase difficult. She could feel this weird episode of dehydration make her mouth compete with a desert on who was the driest. She could feel her lungs stretching after each inhale, her lungs possibly going to be the result of her death.

Her lungs could very well fail and kill her, for all she cared. Suddenly, death didn't feel like too bad of an option at this moment in time.

Perhaps meeting the Grimm Reaper would be less anxiety ridden than meeting a professor who conducts lectures about the Grimm Reaper. Instead of envying his clients who he comes across and wanting to be the fictional screaming person encountering death, she could actually die and meet the midnight man herself. She definitely had some questions of her own to ask of him, and he probably wouldn't mind answering a couple either.

She would be dead, after all. She would think she would have all the time she needed. And seeing that the Grimm Reaper really only does one thing, he probably wouldn't mind pushing back his clients for a few hours for a quick interview.

Mae was quite invested in the idea of obtaining an internship with the Grimm Reaper before being interrupted by the noseflick of a slender, long finger, one which both looked and felt like the finger of a certain gay fox.

Blinking her eyes a bit, Mae's vision readjusted upon seeing the familiar set of blue eyes of a familiar friend, her eyes then spotting his casual grin and predictable expression. She could feel her anxiety disappear quickly, a smile creeping on her lips as well.

"Too bad you didn't go into neurogenic shock."

"Too bad you didn't get hit by a car on your way over here."

"Too bad that same car didn't drive over, kidnap you, and sell your body parts over the internet."

"Too bad you didn't lose your leg and needed my leg for replacement just to remember my body parts are all over the world."

"Are leg transplants a thing?"

"You should know, you took anatomy in high school."

"Just because I took a class doesn't mean I took anything out of it."

"Can't wait to graduate college knowing absolutely nothing then."

Gregg and Mae would share a laugh, most likely their last one for a while, then run into each other and hug, a hug which Mae wanted to feel like an eternity. She kept her arms wrapped around Gregg, breathing in the familiar smell of him and his rugged leather jacket, one which raised nostalgic memories of their experiences together. Hugging her best friend was hard.

But letting go of him would only be harder.

"Too bad you didn't choke and die from my disgusting body odor."

"Too bad your disgusting body odor didn't kill Angus."

"Too bad the both of you haven't learned how to take an effin shower."

And up came her favorite scrawny, orange cat, his expression as chill as ever and his clothes as dingy as usual.

The two looked over at Casey before bringing him into their hug, one which made them all laugh again, the trip together for another time.

Feeling their touch was only a reminder of how much she was going to miss it. And out came the tears, the tears which she had been holding back all summer, the tears she knew she'd she'd for her two favorite boys.

Gregg and Casey held onto Mae as she cried into them, audibly sobbing on their arms. She held them tightly and firmly, wanting to remember the bodies she grew up with for such a long time.

Mae was normally embarrassed to cry in public. She was especially embarrassed to cry in front of her friends. But at this moment in time, the only thing she could do was cry, the only response that made sense to her, the only way she could genuinely put out her feelings about leaving.

She was terrified. She was anxious. She was sick. But worst of all, she was unsure, and that was hacking at her body. It wasn't difficult to understand her emotions, but just to know she wasn't sure about college shattered her to pieces.

Maybe that's why she was really crying. Maybe she was crying because she just didn't know where this whole college thing was taking her. Maybe her tears were for the fact that she would have to make new connections and meet new people. Maybe her outward sobs had more to do with having to make new friends rather than losing her current ones.

Her hands clutched Gregg and Casey tightly. No longer did she hug them because of them. She hugged them because of her.

And that was something she didn't know whether to be ashamed or cautious of.

"We'll come visit, dude."

"I'll bring boxes of Wolf Donuts!"

"We'll light fires in your memory."

"I'll do double the crimes!"

"And most importantly-"

"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

A laugh left Mae's mouth, the trio letting go of each other at this point so Mae could come to her senses again. Gregg held onto a proud grin, Casey playfully rolling his eyes at his obnoxiousness. Facing Mae now, he walked up to her and sighed, ruffling her hair.

"And most importantly... We'll be here. Waiting. So... don't you go die or something."

Mae would then hug Casey once more, holding him as tight as she held Gregg. She would take in his scent one last time, huffing a bit.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Nightmare Eyes."

"Keep the band going."

"You know I will."

"And take care of Gregg for me."

"I'll feed and water him every day."

"Don't feed him after midnight."

The fox flayed his arms in response.

"CAN'T STOP WHAT YOU WON'T START"

Laughs left from both Casey and Mae this time, the two letting go of each other and staring. Not just at each other, but at the street they were standing on, the town they were in, the world they were living on. They stared at more than Possum Springs, more than the county, more than past the highway and more than the Earth itself.

They stared at the moment they were living, the time they were existing in. They stared at their feet planted into the ground, soles that would eventually be ripped from the roots and moved to different locations. Their time as stable beings would eventually be over, and their roots would have to grow elsewhere.

Maybe this wasn't the true end to their friendship. But it was definitely the end of their lives as kids. Mae going to college was Gregg and Casey going to adulthood. They would all stop being kids this day and have to grow up.

Mae hated this. Casey hated this. Gregg hated this.

And because they hated it was when they realized that in adulthood, that was the first step.

The trio wasn't sure how long they stood there until a distant voice hit their ears, Mae turning around and seeing an excited mother, followed by an excited father in a university sweatshirt.

"Mae, honey! It might be early in the morning but it's late in college time!"

"From what I remember, Mom, the standards of time exist similarly regardless of setting."

From the looks of it, Mae's parents were more excited for college than Mae. While going to go load a few things in the back of the truck, the trip caught sight of the back of Mae's father's sweater. The printed "#1 College Dad" would encourage a few chuckles from Casey and Gregg, Mae's father mindlessly packing while her mother handled her camera hanging from her neck.

"Mom, you've been taking pictures since it hit midnight."

"I don't want to miss a single second of you on your way to university."

"At this rate you'll get every picture of me breathing."

"That's the goal, sweetie."

Her hands lifted upwards with the camera, the device held up to her face as she viewed her daughter with her friends.

"Alright, you three - get close and smile! Gregg, Casey, stand next to Mae, I want her in the middle - Perfect!"

As the trio posed, Mae gave a small smirk, holding her friends close.

"Is that how you say 'good morning' to my friends?"

"That's how I say 'good time to take a photo.' Good morning, Greggory and Casey."

The two boys chuckled to Mae and her mother's interaction, the atmosphere quite warm with everyone so close. Gregg found himself rather cheery, regardless of his close separation with Mae. Casey, on the other hand, maintained his casual expression. Whether or not he expressed anything, it didn't mean anything according to how he really felt.

"You three ready?"

"Yep."

"Yeah."

"Yeah!"

Gregg, Mae, and Casey would then smile to their character as Mae's mother snapped a photo. The morning sky along with their neighborhood provided the perfect background to the trio, all giving their best expression to their last photo together, for the mean time.

"Perfect. Alright, let's get going. No time to lose - Stan, is everything in the car?"

As her mother went to attend to her father, Mae stood with her friends once more, sighing a bit.

"This is really it. After this, you'll be meeting Dr. Mae Barowski, PHD."

"A PHD in what?"

"A pretty huge dick."

Casey rolled his eyes and slugged Mae, a growl leaving her lips. She would then hit him back, the two starting to roughhouse.

Gregg watched and laughed as the two got into it, Mae's short but strong body going against Casey's slender but quick body. Although Casey wasn't much for fighting, he wasn't afraid to leave a mark, the cat quick to claw at his best friend.

And clearly, Mae wouldn't be having that, resulting in her throwing some decent punches on her part.

When it came to fighting, the two would only use hands. Nothing too violent, but enough to be a memory. Mae and Casey were close to taking it to the ground until her mother let out a yell, startling and stopping the both of them.

"Mae, for the love of God, if you two don't quit, we'll unpack everything and you'll stay!"

They all remained silent for only a few seconds, Mae blinking a bit at the threat.

"That sounds more like a reward, to me."

Another period of silence came, Mae's mother sighing after some thought.

"Grab your bag and get in the car, Mae."

And without much else, and a few last goodbyes, Gregg and Casey waved off to their best friend driving away, the Borowski's car moving further and further away from the boy's sight. The car would be leaving Possum Springs with their friend, Mae Borowski, and would return without her.

The two stood out there for a while, continuing to wave. They waved past not seeing her anymore, because if there was any chance Mae could still see them, they didn't want her to see them leave.

A few minutes went by, and that was that. Mae Borowski would be on the highway out of Possum Springs and heading to university, leaving the two stuck in town.

"She's gone."

"Yeah."

A moment of silence hit their interaction, Gregg staring at the sky while Casey stared at the ground.

"...Pizza and Practice?"

"...Pizza and Practice."


	3. Like Old Times

Gregg would've taken the orange cat back to his place, quite eager to show his friend how he had redecorated his room. However, knowing how his parents would react to a boy in the house was something he preferred not to deal with. As much as he wanted to hear the usual "keep-the-door-open-dont-even-think-about-doing-anything" piece of dialogue from his extremely accepting mother (she wasn't), he didn't bother offering.

So instead, Casey would have to host.

The end of their summer had already been pretty melancholy, as the anticipated warm and sunny weather had started showing signs of the windy, fading environment from the results of the impending autumn season. As the once simple green leaves had become infected with spots of brown, and the pure blue skies had become ridden with the clouds of many shades of grey, finding any piece of the treasure of

summer were starting to disappear, the days counting until the official start of autumn.

Dealing with the change of weather never seemed to be too delightful for the two. But knowing that they couldn't share their feelings along with Mae this year - nor the years from now on - would call for a heavier sulk.

Gregg didn't seem to mind the change of season, on the topic. Although the weather was an extreme reminder of the pressures of going back to school, especially knowing he won't be going back to school, he weirdly found the leaves quite favorable. His dirty, black boots would create sounds from the crushed orange leaves on the sidewalk, calling for a happy Gregg. The fox was still processing wishing his friend goodbye, however, he still could find joy in the present. Each of his steps would take his attention, a warm feeling dancing on his skin as he continued to walk, thinking to himself on his way walking out of Mae's neighborhood towards the town.

The fox, after seeing his friend leave town, was able to maintain his mental state, or at least maintain what he possibly could. As for Casey, his mind called for a lot of displeasure.

Casey didn't see any value in college. In fact, he didn't even see value in forced education entirely. Knowing where his interests aligned, he knew very well that seeking post-secondary education would just create debt he'd spend paying for the rest of his life, while a piece of paper just rests on his wall to prove he spent another 4 years learning information, three-fourths of which would be useless to him. As pushy as his guidance counselors were with college, he thought of 10 better reasons as to why he shouldn't go to college. As set in stone his feelings were with college, it was weird to see anyone remotely close to him actually want to go. A lot of what he had been feeling at that moment, while Gregg walked casually, was confusion.

Confusion, and disappointment.

"How far do you think Durkillesburg is?"

Casey glanced at Gregg in silence, pondering the question.

"We said we'd go see her. Do you think it's a big school? What do you think she's doing right now? What kind of-"

"Gregg."

"-school did she say it was? I hope her roommate is cool. Do you think she'll-"

"Gregg."

"-start classes right away? What kind of clubs do you think she'll be in? Will she meet new-"

"Gregg, dude-"

"-friends? Do you think we'll be able to-

"Gregg!"

The two were silent for a moment. Agitated, Casey looked over at him, huffing a bit. Gregg, weirdly enough, held onto a smile, his hands shoved in the pockets of his leather jacket as the two stopped in place.

Calming down for a moment, Casey sighed, shaking his head.

"Save your breath for band practice."

Casey kept walking, clearly frustrated. This was definitely something Gregg picked up on, remaining silent as he kept up on walking.

Gregg had been pretty well used to Casey's moods. From all that he remembered, a lot of high school consisted of periods of time where Casey was visibly irritable. Whether lashing oit on him, or picking fights with Mae, Gregg always knew to think nothing of it. At this point in time, it was nothing out of the ordinary for him to be shitty, Gregg thought, walking at his side as they made their way into central.

The two remained entirely silent until they arrived to Pastabilities.

"So as far as music goes," Gregg had started, in the middle of chowing down a breadstick as he went over plans for their band. "Our sound is set. Angus is still okay with singing, and right now, he's working with a friend of his to cover Mae's bass."

Pastabilities had been a common place for Casey, seeing as this was where he practically grew up. The food wasn't terrible, if you liked your mouth to taste like grease for the rest of the day, and the atmosphere carried a weird sense of nostalgia. The smell wasn't too strong, if you didn't mind old tomato sauce and burnt pizza crust with a dash of cheap olive oil coating your nostrils. Even the servers weren't too bad, as long as you weren't crazy young or you left a tip. Overall, Pastabalities was genuinely decent, or decently genuine. The place usually left it up to its customers to decide that.

He wasn't too sure why he liked the place as much, seeming as it looked close to being run down. If it weren't for the fact that people still came around for cheap food and hot meals, this place wouldn't be standing, much like the rest of the previous existing restaraunts in town.

Maybe it was people like him who kept the place running. Young, sad, cheap, shitty asshats who wouldn't dare spend a grand on an old car but would gladly spend a grand in a months worth of inexpensive food.

God, what a bummer he was today.

"We could definitely go to the Party Barn tomorrow to get this song of yours going. You're just about finished it, aren't you? What's it called?"

Casey was still wrapped up in his head before snapping out of it, seeing Gregg looking at him.

"Huh? Yeah, man, I understand."

The fox blinked a bit, the two sitting in silence before Gregg letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Alright, duder. Spit."

"Nobody's spitting here besides you, don't talk while eating."

A frown fell on Gregg's face, the two looking at each other quietly again. A little embarrassed, he went and swallowed his food, still visually unhappy.

"I don't think we should practice today."

"I don't think so either."

Casey looked off, crossing his arms as he leaned back in their booth, keeping his eyes away from contact. He was definitely not oriented to talking about whatever is going on, distancing himself from a conversation about the things on his mind. A confused Gregg sat beside him, fiddling with a half eaten breadstick on his small plate.

Just when Gregg was going to finally say something, a waitress made her appearance, standing at their table holding the standard small notepad.

"What'll it be, boys?"

Gregg turned to Casey, noticing him still off in his own world. Putting on a fake smile, he looked over at the waitress, getting together his best customer voice.

"Just a pepperoni."

"Size?"

"Yeah."

An awkward period of silence was left between the 3, this taking the attention of Casey now.

"Just an 8 inch, please," Casey spoke up, refusing to look at Gregg as the waitress wrote down the order.

"Anything to-"

"Two waters and a coffee."

With one last swivvle of a pen, the waitress took off with their order, the boys watching her leave and head behind the counter, getting their order processed.

"She asked for the size..."

"Yup."

"And you said yeah?..."

"Yup."

A frustrated sigh left Casey's lips, Gregg's face slightly red from the situation. Unsure of what to say, he realized that no further comment was needed as he saw a small smile on Casey's lips.

Casey started to laugh, following Gregg's laughter in response. The two were wild with what had just happened, Casey holding his stomach to keep himself steady.

"A-Are you s-serious? After all the times we've gone here, you haven't remembered how they take our order?"

"Dude, give me a break, we haven't been here in a while!"

"We were just here last night for Mae, you dumbass!"

The two continued to laugh for a moment, this not only catching Casey by surprise but just keeping his mind off track as to what had been bothering him. The cat could only imagine the tension between him and the waitress, only wondering how confused and scared she might've been. This was hilarious to him, Casey eventually calming from his laughter, Gregg following suit as their chuckles has reduced to them lightly panting.

"I almost lost my shit when you put pepper flakes in Mae's drink."

"I thought she knew something was wrong until she finished the entire thing and said how much she liked the cherry soda."

"Did you ever tell her what you put in it?"

"You kidding? She almost kicked my ass the other day for breaking her headphones, me telling her would be a wish for death."

"You think Mae would kill you?"

"No, I think Mae COULD kill me. There's a difference."

"She almost broke your arm today, from the looks of it."

"If if wasn't for her mom interrupting, she would've broken both of them."

A snicker left both of their lips, Casey becoming more comfortable as he leaned over, looking at Gregg more as the two spoke. Picking up on this, Gregg couldn't help but smile cheerfully, seeing his friend acting just fine as the two finally communicated normally.

And clearly, what was normal to them was making fun of each other.

"Too bad she didn't rip your eyes out."

"Too bad she didn't kill me and you get charged for being an asset."

"Too bad her parents didn't run both of you over with the car while you were still fighting."

"Too bad... she's gone."

The silence had come back, Gregg noticing as Casey seemed to back away from talking again, the glow in his eyes fading back to their sad shade of color.

"It... sucks, but you aren't alone?"

Gregg spoke up, making an effort to be positive. He scooted a little closer to Casey, hoping he could be of some help with this. He wasn't too sure what was wrong, however, given the way he had been acting, it definitely wasn't difficult to figure out the real problem here.

"I get it, Case. You're hurting. This is... weird. Her not being here is weird. Us not being together is weird. Knowing we aren't going to see her in an hour, or tonight, or tomorrow, or in a few days, even a few months is soooooooo weird. I don't even want to think about how we aren't even going to see her for Halloween is weird, because in all honesty, I haven't let this sit completely either. This is all just... shit. A big pile of shit."

Casey hadn't made eye contact at this point, nor really gave the indication he would. Gregg noticed and sighed again, still looking at him nevertheless.

"This is hurting you, I get that. We just saw her leave in, what, like less than an hour ago? This is still so... recent. But... You aren't the only one hurting?"

Casey still wasn't looking, but his behavior changed, the cat not as hunched over or stiff anymore. He kept his eyes on the table now, resting his arms on the surface as Gregg continued to talk.

"This is hurting me, too. It's so weird to see her... gone. It'll feel a lot more lonely without her, but... You aren't exactly alone. I'm right here."

The two sat still for a moment, Casey still not moving. Gregg remained as comforting as possible, doing his best to speak to him.

"We can be alone together. The rest of this year. Mae's gone, we're sad about it, but it's not as bad as being sad and alone."

The sound of drinks being set on the table interrupted their talk, as well as the small pizza taking the center place. The waitress gave the boys another smile while getting the meal placed correctly, making sure everything looked alright.

"So two waters, a coffee, and an 8 inch pizza. Can I get the two of you anything else?"

Casey looked over, waited a moment, then spoke up.

"I mean if you're offering a steady income with a paid off car and a roof over my head, then yes. Otherwise, I'm good."

The waitress let out a chuckle, setting their bill on the table quickly.

"Honey, you're looking for everyone else's want. You ain't special."

She walked away with gusto, Casey and Gregg watching as she walked away back to the place behind the counter.

"Now that woman gets it. I'm gonna have to leave a good tip."

Gregg chuckled in response, helping himself to the pizza. Casey acted the same, enjoying their cheap, greasy food for the time that they could. Pizza was a pretty weird kind of breakfast, however, a weird breakfast was necessary for a weird day.

As Gregg munched away on his food, Casey watched and held a smile, remembering how it felt to be around Gregg again without Mae in the picture. It had been so long since the two were together alone, it was so strange to even keep seeing each other after Mae leaving. Maybe this wouldn't be a bad fall after all, Casey thought, keeping his eyes on his friend.

Mae leaving was definitely a bummer. But that didn't mean he didn't have Gregg.


	4. What Happened

"So the song is generally pretty raunchy, ya know, since I'm a teenager who pulls edgy lyrics out of my ass," Casey started, talking about the song he had been preparing for quite a while.

The two sat together in Casey's basement, the two plopped onto an old, scratched up sofa, holding weirdly textured cushions between the materials pleather and rugged velvet. It was comfortable, or at least comfortable for 2 boys who have never sat on anything better. An old, free couch sitting outside someone's house was better than any couch requiring money, so Casey didn't complain.

That same logic could be applied to everything else in the room, besides his drums, his laptop, and his TV, a third of these items stolen and the rest handed down to him.

Based on the condition of each item, it wasn't hard to tell which one was stolen.

Gregg held onto a smile, sunken into the couch as he listened in on Casey's passionate take on the music he has been working on. The band would be shifting due to Mae's distance, the two having to seek help from others, people who would possibly have the time to come together some time to perform. Whether they'd be official members of the band was up to Casey, Gregg normally letting Casey shout the demands with this kind of thing.

If it weren't for Casey's insistent behavior, the fox was unsure if he would've even continued on with this. A conversation a few months ago where Gregg suggested taking a break from the band resulted in a 3 week long silent treatment, a box of cigarettes bribe, and complete assured commitment, Casey having a rather weird connection with the band's existence.

Funny, even though practices happened once a week, and finding gigs wasn't as much of a priority anymore. Reminding himself of this any time growing frustrated with Casey, Gregg found himself thinking about it more.

"I haven't had a chance to show it to anybody, but that's because I haven't made a good bridge. But dude, trust me." Casey assured, leaning over as he kept his eyes on the fox. "Its gonna be killer, and I want it to kill you first."

Gregg rolled his eyes, leaning back on the sofa as he kicked his booted shoes on top of the worn down table, careful not to knock over a collection of notebooks and scraps of paper slobbered with sheet notes.

"Too bad it won't actually kill me."

"Too bad it can't afford to kill you."

"If this song could afford to kill me, I hope it could afford my funeral."

"It would assure you'd have a burial. But no party."

The two would share a mutual laugh, Casey sighing afterwards as he moved one of his hands into his pocket, rummaging for a lighter. He promised his mom he'd stop smoking pot in the basement, but he never said anything about cigarettes, the cat letting his hands trail between the cushions looking for an old box.

"You think people have parties for a funeral?"

"We celebrate when people are born. Why can't we celebrate when people die?"

Gregg nodded, letting his fingers play with his jacket zipper.

"I wonder if there's a funeral aisle at a party store?"

"There is. It's next to the Holiday aisle."

"We should say you died and throw a party!"

The cat scoffed, smirking as he pulled out a cigarette from under the couch cushion he had been sitting on, giving it a quick light before bringing the stick to his mouth.

"We aren't going to say anything. Now, if you actually kill me? Let's go ahead and get a funeral cake, too."

"Can I perform? I could write a song and every thing."

"Here, write this."

Finishing the sentence, Casey blew his smoke into the fox's face, Gregg waving the cloud away then punching the cat on his shoulder playfully. Casey laughed in response, taking another drag before looking up.

"You gonna show me this song you keep talking about or are you gonna keep being an asshole?"

"God could strike me down and I would still be an asshole. It's not done yet, dude, but trust me. You'll be be very first to get a taste of its greatness."

"I'll let my taste buds be in charge of how your song tastes."

"Heh. Looks like I'm gonna have to bribe them, then."

"With what money?"

"Money? What, your taste buds are capitalists?"

"Money talks in this capitalistic world, like it or not. They'll charge ya a pretty penny."

"No friend discount?"

"Lemme ask the manager."

Gregg remained silent for a moment, the two staring at each other with dumb smiles on their faces.

"I'm the manager. The manager says screw off."

Blowing smoke into Gregg's face again, Casey was about to take another drag until the fox made a quick lunge, the two playfighting on the old couch. As punches were being thrown, and kicks were being made, the two had no trouble playing dirty. The fox tended to go for generally anywhere exposed, doing what he could to get the cat to knock over. Casey, on the other hand, depended on his agility, lashing at weak spots when obvious but spending the majority of the time avoiding recieiving critical hits.

While one punch followed a kick and onward, Gregg and Casey found themselves tumbling onto the ground, their wrestling continuing on the floor.

Casey could hold his own with fighting, knowing where to place his fist on a body. But when Gregg would fight, there was no such thing as thinking, as he would only move, his entire body becoming a weapon. As minutes went by between the two of them laughing and growling, the match ended with Gregg on top, holding the cat down by his arms. He was position where he sat on Casey's lower abdomen, making moving forward or around difficult as the fox had dropped his weight, keeping the cat in position while hunching over to keep down his arms.

Although Casey continued to struggle, rather lightly, the boys breathed heavily in position. Gregg's hands held the cat down firmly, the two panting in each others direction as they faced one another, their eyes locked for only a moment.

Being a weirdly intimate moment, the two would stay silent for a few seconds until Casey grew a little red, speaking up.

"You gonna eff me now, or what."

"It came to mind. Can't resist weird orange cats under my grip."

"At least take me out to dinner, first."

Gregg smirked.

"With what money?"

Still huffing, Casey leaned in with a smirk on his lips.

"The money I'll get from insurance after you drill me."

At that point, the laughs had haulted, as well as the panting, the two staying in that position in silence once more. Picking up the suggestive language brought Gregg's cheeks to grow red themselves, understanding the many different ways in which that very sentence could be interpreted. The space between them had grown rather hot, or at least that's how it had started to feel with Gregg, the fox seeing that their rough yet playful behavior was starting to become a little different than how he was directing it.

Or, at least, reminded him of an earlier time in their lives where their mischief had lead to... specific actions.

Gregg felt his mind go over their strange periods of male on male intimacy, Gregg recalling a specific night Casey had sworn him to secrecy to never say anything about. When that thought came to mind was when Gregg let his grip lighten on Casey's upper limbs, the fox still staring yet his gaze growing from entertained to a little more surprised.

"Oh, uh-"

Casey, feeling the small release of his arms, would then use this moment to his advantage, nearly breaking Gregg's rib cage as he used one of his hands to punch into his lower torso, his other hand making an effort to push the hurt fox on his back, thus taking position on top again.

The two would lock eyes again, Gregg's surprised expression going face to face to Casey's now sly and pleased face.

"Now what were we saying? Me getting drilled?"

Gregg blinked, letting a proper answer to his question come to mind. The side of his abdomen had become sore, the fox unable to move up or really do much of anything. For what Casey lacked in strength was definitely made up in his tactics, the cat knowing exactly

where to strike a blow.

As Casey remained on top of him, Gregg would hope the cat would come to his senses, mumbling a slow response.

"I think we were probably saying how, uh, Angus would feel about that. You know... my boyfriend Angus. The one who I leave the, uh, drilling up to."

Casey's assured expression faded into something serious quickly, hearing the words of Gregg and seeing where his body had been taking him. It had become clear to the cat of the subconcious intentions of the two as Casey actually opened his eyes to what was goong on. Gregg was able to maintain a playful position in this situation, maintaining a remotely casual and non-serious behavior while they had been interacting.

Casey, on the other hand, had gone a little further, especially with his physical expression. Seeing where this could've possibly gone in a more awkward note, Casey backed up, going from borderline flirty to playful in an instant (or at least presenting himself in such a way), as he rolled onto the ground next to Gregg.

"Is there never a moment in time where you'll take something as a joke."

"It was funny until... you know..."

"Until what?"

With no response from Gregg, the fox having trouble with words, Casey immediately turned to his side, positioning his torso away from Gregg.

"You know what, forget it. Take a joke, dude."

He would remain silent for that time, Gregg unsure of what to say. With such a quick turn of events, Gregg rolled his eyes slightly, the fox

It wasn't that he found the intimacy in any way awkward, however, he was just worried about mentioning it with how this conversation was going. Casey may have been a thoughtful fighter, but when it came to speaking about anything on his mind, Gregg never anticipated a good ending. Instead, he would let it go and stop, moving onto something else.

"So... the song, uh-"

"I told you I'm not showing you yet, how many times do I have to-"

"No, no dude, I'm asking... I'm asking if you had a name."

"A name?"

"A name for the song, country trash."

Although taking a few seconds to come out, a laugh would leave Casey's mouth, his body turning back to face Gregg. Casey's blush had went down, his once rosey cheeks going back to their orange, natural color. It had been strange to come back from something that felt so intimate, the cat previously rushing with strong emotions. It had felt so long since he had felt those things, and to feel them once more was rather relieving.

"Greggory Lee, the only man dumb enough to come back from something so gay."

"You get used to it after wrestling so many times."

"What, the head injuries, or the flamer talk."

"Sometimes both, Casey. Sometimes both."

Laying there once more, the two looked at each other peacefully, those rush of emotions on Casey's end reminding him of a friendship so god damn weird. Any time they'd lie together, any time Casey got a chance to be so close to this stupid Fox's face was another snapshot for the book, the book he had stored in his mind which captured every enjoyable moment he would have with the guy.

He wondered where all this longing had gone after being so close to Mae for so long. After Nightmare Eyes stepped into the picture, the three would move as a trio, resulting in a weird break between his and Gregg's connection. Perhaps it had more to do with his heavy interest in Mae. Or perhaps it had to do with Casey finding solace in someone who, as much as he could never tell Gregg, had more going for them.

Casey didn't feel guilty of the trashed connection, however, it was a difficult reminder that there was a time when the two were close and stilll discovering themselves. And with what had just happened, it reminded him that there was a connection full of cooperative discovery. Discovery that maybe Gregg grew up from, but something Casey would bury for a period of time, just to unravel when given the right moment of time.

And unfortunately, out of all the times to unravel his feelings, this was a time that included rather set roles, especially in a relationship where one of them is already committed to someone.

Not wanting to think of this further, Casey went onto the second thing on his mind.

"You would've made a better wrestler than a track fag in high school."

"It was too expensive. The wrestling coach wanted me to pay more than a hundred for some gross, cold one piece. I spent less than half of that for the track set, didn't need anything else but the shorts and shirt."

"Didn't you end up throwing away more than a hundred anyways for the sports jacket?"

"No, I stole that thing when the Coach wasn't watching."

"Explains why it's so big, you probably just took the first one you saw."

"The priority was having it, not the size of it."

"You tell yourself that when you're with Angus?"

Gregg scoffed, punching Casey's arm with no hesitation.

"I don't know whether to blame you or praise you for all the wrestling experience. I wasn't on the team but damn did I know how to pin a guy-"

Gregg held his breath as Casey was clearly ready with a remark, the fox rolling his eyes as he then laid on his back, facing the ceiling.

"So, the name?"

"It's Casey Hartley."

"You're an effing pile of sewer trash and I-"

"Relax, relax. I know what you meant."

Hearing the question again, Casey sighed, beginning to lay on his back as well as he then found his eyes on his ceiling too. On his cracked, decaying ceiling was the weirdly shaped painting of the United States, specific places being noted with a collection of dots.

Regardless of being such a big map, Casey's attention would always focus on the location of their shitty home, a dot in place of what he felt to be the location of America's Hell. He would utter the name of the song without letting his eyes disconnect from the ceiling, Gregg being given the title of a song Casey put a part of himself into.

"Die Anywhere Else."


End file.
